Radiant heat absorbing means



' June 3, 1941. H. a. WEBSTER RADIANT HEAT 'ABSORBING MEANS Filed April29, 1938' Patentecl June 3, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RADIANTHEAT ABSORBING MEANS Harry G. Webster, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 29, 1938, Serial No. 204,962

7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for increasing body heat loss,particularly of living creatures, including human beings, with a View toincreased comfort of the latter, and has to do with radiant heatabsorbing means suitable to that end.

Air conditioning of houses, buildings and offices, and otherestablishments with a view to greater comfort of the occupants, is nowwell known and rather extensively used. Under present practice such airconditioning is accomplished by maintaining the air within a room orspace at an optimum temperature and humidity which assures desiredcomfort of the occupants of such space or room. That necessitateshandling large volumes of air and controlling the temperature andhumidity thereof, which con sumes considerable energy necessitating anadequate power source. The ordinary system of air conditioning issubject to the further objection that persons passing from an airconditioned room or space into a space which is not air conditioned, orvice versa, are subjected to abrupt and sometimes sever changes in airtemperature and humidity, with the result that respiratory infection maybe induced.

It is known that if two bodies at different temperatures be placed inproximity there will be a tendency to equalization of the temperaturesof the bodies, by transfer of heat from the body of higher temperatureto the body of lower temperature, such heat transfer being effected byradiant energy, commonly termed radiant heat.

It is possible, by properly promoting the loss oi heat from the hum-anbody and clothing, to maintain the body temperature such that a per sonwill be entirely comfortable even in an atmosphere of high temperatureand humidity. My invention is directed primarily to means whereby theloss of body heat may be promoted in a simple and efiicient manner suchthat all necessity for regulating the temperature and humidity of largevolumes of air is eliminated, resulting in a very much reduced cost ofoperation and in a superior result. The particular apparatus employedfor that purpose may assume various forms, as will become apparent, andI have disclosed herein but one form by way of example. Further objectsand advantages of my invention will appear from the detail description.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an isometric front view of radiant heat absorbing meansembodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse lengthwise sectional view of the radiant heatabsorbing means of Figure 1, taken substantially along the line 2-2 ofFigure 3;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially online 33 of Figure 2, certain parts being shown in elevation; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 2.

My invention comprises appropriately cooled heat absorbing means exposedto radiant energy in the form of dark heat or infra-red rays passingthrough a wall or plate permeable to such rays. Neither air cooling nordehumidifying is intended .or desired, and the heat absorbing meanspreferably is enclosed within a suitable chamber effective to preventfree flow of air in contact therewith, the plate constituting a wall ofthe chamber. Preferably, the chamber is made substantially air-tight,and, in certain instances, it may be made completely air-tight andevacuated, with a view to insulating thermally the cooled parts of theapparatus from the surrounding air.

I have illustrated by invention as embodied in a portable unitcomprising a base 5, conveniently mounted on casters of known type andin a known manner, for portability. Upon the base 5 I mounta relativelythin cubiform casing 6, defining a chamber 8. The back of easing B isclosed by wall 9, which constitutes a side Wall of both chamber 8 andcasing 6. The latter also defines two vertical ducts Iii, disposed atthe ends of chamber 8 and opening at their lower ends into base 5, theupper ends of ducts 10 being open to the atmosphere.

Within chamber 8 there is supported heat absorbing means, comprising aheat absorbing surface and means for taking oii heat absorbed by suchsurf-ace. This means includes a plate II, conveniently formed of metal,preferably copper due to the high heat conductivity of the latter. Platell preferably has its outer surface provided with a black coating highlyefiicient for absorbing heat, such as lamp black, or such surface may betreated to provide a thin layer of black oxide of copper. The plate I Iconveniently has a refrigerant receiving and vaporizing means comprisinga plurality .of vertical tubes l2, formed of copper or other suitablemetal. Tubes l2 depend from a cylindrical tank I3 and open, at theirlower ends, into a header 14 having, at one end, an elbow l5 passingthrough bottom wall it of chamber 8, this bottom wall conveniently beingformed by a portion of the top wall of base 5. Tank 13 maybe supportedby brackets ll secured to the back Wall 9 of casing ii. Plate II may beformed integrally with or secured to the tubes l2 in any suitablemanner. The heat absorbing and conducting plate H and the refriger-antreceiving and evaporating means thus form a complete unit effective forabsorbing and taking off heat, and the plate II is in intimate thermalconducting relation to the refrigerant.

The front of chamber 8 is closed by a thin rectangular plate 1 of amaterial highly permeable to radiant energy of long wave length, such asdark heat or infra-red rays. Rock salt crystals and hard r-ubber,sometimes termed ebonite, are both well suited for that purpose. Plate 1preferably is formed of hard rubber, for practical reasons. Itconstitutes the front wall of chamber 8, which preferably is air tight,or substantially so.

Base 5 contains a refrigerant compressing and condensing unit of knowntype. This unit comprises an electric motor !8 having a belt drivingconnection to a compressor !9, and a condensing coil 29. The motor andthe compressor carry fans effective for inducing air through openings 2!and 22 in back wall 23 of base 5 and blowing this air over thecondensing coil 20, the air then escaping through the ducts Ii].compressor I9 is connected by a tube 2 to tank l3, for withdrawingrefrigerant vapor therefrom. The compressed refrigerant is deliveredfrom the compressor I9 to the condensing coil 29 and thence into arefrigerant tank or reservoir 25, g

in a known manner. The reservoi conveniently is supported above thecondensing coil 2B, in a known manner. Refrigerant is supplied fromreservoir 25 to header M, through a tube 25, expansion valve 2? andelbow i 5. valve 2-! is of known type and is controlled in a knownmanner by a thermostat (not shown) connected by a tube 28 to valve 2?.The use of an expansion valve controlled by a thermostat, for admittingrefrigerant to a refrigerant receiving and vaporizing unit, is wellknown in the electrical refrigeration art and need not be described herein detail. Suffice it to state that refrigerant is admitted fromreservoir 25 to header I i in accordance with requirements, by

means of the expansion valve and the thermostat, the latter beingresponsive to the temperature of plate H. It is also contemplatedproviding suitable thermostat control means for closing and opening thecircuit of motor 8, at appropriate times, such means being well known inthe refrigeration art and requiring no i-llustration nor descriptionhere. -It will be also understood that a suitable electric cord having aplug cap, or other appropriate means, for connecting the electric motorinto the house or building circuit is to be provided.

The portable unit herein disclosed is well suited for use in a room oroffice. In practice it is The intake of The expansion disposedanappropriate distance from the person whose body heat loss is to bepromoted, with the plate or wall I toward such person. The rays of darkheat emanating from the persons body and clothing readily pass throughplate I and the intervening air as radiant energy which, upon impingingupon the plate Ii is converted into heat, which is taken ed by thecooling means. Since the heat absorbing means is maintained at aconsiderably lower temperature than that of the heat emitting body (thebody temperature of the person), flow of radiant heat from the person tothe radiant heat absorbing means is promoted, and such heat flow may becontrolled, within limits, by maintaining the heat absorbing means atthat temperature which produces the most comfort.

While I have shown the radiant heat absorbing means of my invention, inthe illustrated embodiment thereof, as including means for compressingand condensing the refrigerant, that is not essential to my invention.In its broader aspects, my invention ccmprehends anysuitable means forabsorbing and taking off heat produced by the radiant energy or darkheat rays passing through the wall or member permeable to such rays andimpinging upon the heat absorbing plate. I also contemplate using anysuitable number of radiant heat absorbing units, comprising a memberpermeable to dark heat or infra-red rays and an associated relativelycold ,heat absorbing member, with extraneous means for taking off heatfrom the latter, such units being arranged in any suitable manner withreference to the person whose body heat loss is to be promoted and tothe room or other structure within which such person may be situated.

I claim:

1. In radiant heat absorbing means, a plate of material highlytransmissive to dark heat rays, such as are principally emitted from thehuman body, a second plate of a material of high heat conductivitydisposed adjacent but spaced from said first plate and. having a heatabsorbing surface exposed thereto, and cooling means in thermalconducting relation to said second plate.

2. In radiant heat absorbing means, a refrigerated heat absorbingelement, and a casing enclosing said element and shielding it from theatmosphere surrounding said casing, the latter having a wallsubstantially out of thermal conducting contact with said element andtransmissive to dark heat rays such as are principally emitted from thehuman body.

3. In combination, a cold body, means for removing heat from said body,and means for insulating said body from coaction with the circumambientmedium, said insulating means being transmissive to radiant heat such asis emitted from the human body.

l. In combination a refrigerated panel, an enclosing casing for saidpanel adapted substantially to exclude free atmosphere from contact withsaid panel, and a wall portion of said casing of material transmissiveto radiant heat such as is emitted by the human body.

5. A cooling device comprising the combination of a substantially airsealed casing, a wall portion on said casing of material transmissive toradiant heat waves such as .are principally emitted from the human body,and heat disposing means in said casing comprising an extensive surfacefor absorbing heat rays and means for removing heat therefrom, saidsurface being spaced from said wall so as -to substantially avoidcooling said wall to as low a temperature as said surface.

6. In a device of the class described, a heat absorbing element, and acasing enclosing :said

element and shielding it from the atmosphere surrounding said casing, aportion of said casing consisting of a material transmissive to darkheat rays such as are principally emitted from the human body.

7. In radiant heat absorbing means, a closed chamber comprising a wallof material highly transmissive to dark heat rays such as areprincipally emitted from the human body, heat absorbing means withinsaid chamber spaced from said wall and having a surface adjacent saidwall exposed to heat rays passing through said wall, and cooling meanswithin said chamber and in thermal conducting relation to said heatabsorbing means.

HARRY G. WEBS'I'ER.

